A Hermeneutical Perspective On Kenneth Rexroth's English Translation Of Du Fu

Making a general survey of the historical development of hermeneutics and translation, we may find that the theoretical turn of translation studies and the shift of hermeneutical focus correspond to each other. Traditional hermeneutics, as an epistemology of understanding and interpretation, puts emphasis on the spirit of objectivity, viewing that the ultimate goal of understanding is to pursue the only correct authorial intention. Similarly, traditional translation theories claim that the source text is authoritative and inviolable. And traditional translation criteria require translators to overcome their subjectivity and individuality so as to produce an absolutely objective and faithful translation.1920s witnessed the ontological turn in hermeneutics. Heidegger and Gadamer hold that understanding is not a purely epistemological activity transcending the reader's historical context; instead, it is a mode of being presented under the effect and influence of history. The essence of historical spirit does not lie in the recovery of the past, but in its meditative link-up with the present life. The influence of the significant turn soon spread to all fields of study. Later a revolution took place in the field of translation studies. Translation scholars shifted their research orientation from a prescriptive approach to descriptive approach. It is justifiable to attribute the progress to the influence of modern hermeneutics.With Philosophic Hermeneutics, the most influential school of modern hermeneutics, as its theoretical basis, the thesis will apply some of the essential concepts of this discipline to translation research, among which the three philosophical hermeneutical principles—historicity of understanding, fusion of horizons and effective history—are very enlightening to translation studies.This thesis, starting from the three philosophical hermeneutical principles, conducts an analysis of contemporary American poet Kenneth Rexroth's translation of Du Fu's poetry, mainly focusing on the transformation of Du Fu's traditional image. In Rexroth's translation, by obliterating Confucian color, highlighting aspirations for Taoist reclusion and emphasizing enjoyment of natural beauty, he transformed Du Fu from a Confucian poetic sage, who dedicated his whole life to the fulfillment of Confucian ideal and his duty to the nation and people, into a Taoist recluse indulging in solitude and forgetting himself in the pleasure of nature. The thesis further explores the causes that result in his recreation, and finally offers an evaluation of his translation.By the analysis of Rexroth's translation of Du Fu's poetry from the perspective of Philosophical Hermeneutics, the thesis attempts to illustrate that this discipline not only sheds new light on translation theories, but also provides a new theoretical approach to the comparison between a ST and a TT. Furthermore, the author hopes to attract more attention from translation academia to the translations of Du Fu and arouse their interest in Rexroth, a poet translator who has made significant contribution to the English-speaking countries' reception of classic Chinese poetry.